How most Lebanese behave and the expectations for how foreigners must behave is
deeply rooted in the people's Islamic faith, but today there is great freedom
on how to act and behave. Sometimes single women travelers are looked at oddly by
conservative Muslims and for these same people it is also considered improper for
a man to touch a woman, even holding your spouse's hand or offering to shake
the hand of a person who is of the opposite sex can be considered inappropriate
to a conservative Muslim. However, in Lebanon you'll rarely encounter these
issues.

Most of the strictest behavioral regulations come with dining etiquette. Islamic
law forbids pork products and alcohol and these should be avoided when in the company
of Muslims. Although many hotels, clubs, and bars offer alcohol in their restaurants,
pork is less common, but still widely available. When in the company of Christians,
neither pork nor alcohol is outlawed and there are no dietary restrictions; when
in the company of Muslims, follow their lead as many Lebanese Muslims do drink alcohol
and some also eat pork. For more information on dining in Lebanon see our
Lebanon Dining & Food Page.

The traditional dress in Lebanon is quite varied since the people are quite varied
ethnically, religiously, and culturally. Perhaps the most popular type of traditional
clothing in the country that remains today are sherwal, which are loose-fitting
pants, although sometimes they are tight on the bottom or are worn over tight pants.
The labbade was also commonly worn as a headdress. Some women, both in
the past and today, wear an abaya, which is traditionally black. This loose-fitting
dress entirely covers a woman from the neck down. Like the abaya, women
wear a black cloth called a hijab both historically and today; this is
a piece of cloth wrapped around their neck so only their faces can be seen.

Although these traditional clothes can still be seen in Lebanon, more commonly today
the people wear modern western-styled clothing. As a liberal country on Muslim standards,
the clothing of today can be somewhat tight-fitting and showing skin is accepted
by the majority of the people, but for many people long sleeves are the norm on
both shirts and pants. Some Muslim women in Lebanon still cover their heads, often
times with a hijab or a simple scarf no matter what style clothing they
wear, but this seems to be a dying practice. Despite this conservative dress, there
is a large number of Muslim women in Lebanon who dress more liberally and most of
the Christian population does as well.

As a visitor to the country, wearing western clothes is common and acceptable. However,
be aware of the differences in dress and be prepared to dress conservatively. Few
Lebanese will be offended at shorts and t-shirts as many locals also wear these
clothes, but among more conservative Muslims it is best to cover up with long sleeves
on your shirts and pants. In Beirut and other cities the dress tends to be more
liberal and dressing in a similar fashion is common, but in some more rural areas
the dress can be much more conservative so be prepared for this. Additionally, some
women may feel more comfortable covering their hair, but this is not expected and
there is no pressure to do so, especially in Beirut and other cities.